10 Video Games for Baby Boomers

Myst was the No. 1 best-selling PC game of all time until it was surpassed by The Sims in 2002.

Image courtesy of MystJourney.com

Boomers tend to like adventure games: immersive experiences that transport them in other worlds through high-quality graphics and a good storyline [source: Pearce].

The granddaddy of all adventure games is Myst, first released on CD ROM in 1993. The game was the No. 1 best-selling PC game of all time until it was surpassed by The Sims in 2002 and was a true groundbreaker in the world of adventure gaming when it was released [source: Webster's Online Dictionary]. Myst puts the player in the first-person role of "The Stranger" who discovers a book entitled Myst that whisks him or her away to world with no instructions. Left disoriented, the character and gamer must explore the environment for clues by moving slide-by-slide through the three-dimensional screens and figuring out the appropriate next steps. Different endings emerge as a result of different decisions.

This game appeals to boomers in particular because it has no real threat of dying, no time limit and therefore, no stress -- all qualities ranked highly in boomer gamer polls [source: Pearce].

To introduce Myst to a new generation, the game has been developed for iOS and is now available on the iTunes store.